


Still Water

by metarudogu



Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25503406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metarudogu/pseuds/metarudogu
Summary: The story that was never told. This is AnK set in an alternative universe and centred around Katze.The secrets of Tanagura and the meteoric rise of Iason Mink to power, how it all began with an Organic who dared to dream and a Master who challenged protocols to change.
Relationships: Katze/Iason Mink, Raoul Am/Katze
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Still Water

**Author's Note:**

> Arc 0 - Human Peripheral   
> The Process of becoming Human Peripheral

Arc 0 Human Peripheral 22 Nov 2019  
*Process of becoming Human Peripheral

“It is a lesson.” 

“This is unacceptable for Furniture,” Raoul's voice was a rush of indignation and disbelief. To think a mere Human is capable of this.”

“He is capable of much more, I have outlined this during council. It is this and his unaccountable courage that qualifies him for this role.”

“This is unprecedented. Let me repurpose him. He has the most balanced features, repairing this damage is of little consequence-”

“No Raoul.”

“He will make a perfect specimen. I can collect-”

“Raoul.”

“This act of infringement cannot be tolerated.”

“I have made my proposal to Jupiter, She has shown approval. Council will come round because Jupiter wills this. He is Furniture, his loyalty is perfect and his mind, it is a beautiful thing, it approaches the perfection of Elites. There will be much I can glean from this one. I want to harness his abilities, his raw potential.”

“It is potential, unproven.”

“It is proven. Do you not see I have been persuaded by his duplicity? His machination?” Iason sounded almost too pleased, it disturbed Raoul extremely.

The Furniture ZM-094 was laid on the operation table. Iason could see why Raoul showed so much interest. All Furniture were pretty but this was a rare gem; his skin was perfect as was the balanced features of his face and his perfectly proportioned body, his height and this pure hair colour; to have this occur naturally from Ceres was unheard of.

Raoul turned the Furniture's face examining the wound. Iason had flayed a long jagged strip off the pretty face, a slash of rawness from the corner of the left eye down the cheek and along the jawline. While first recovery procedure had staunch bleeding, surgery was required to repair the damage. It was the reason why Iason had conveyed his Furniture to Raoul directly even though this was not the Clinic but Raoul’s laboratory. 

“This damage is serious.”

“Functionality will be the primary concern here, leave the dermis damage as it is.”

“Organic dermis regeneration will not be adequate to complete restoration, fibrosis is inevitable,” Raoul stilled, he looked up intently. “This is a disfigurement.”

Iason hummed an indifferent sound.

“It is a serious disfigurement, he has balanced features that the copies of our academic series have yet to successfully achieve, certainly not this level of perfection yet.”

“He is not Pet. And he will no longer be Furniture, let there be a differentiation,” Iason arched his brow.

“Very well,” even for an Elite, it looked reluctant as Raoul lifted his gloved hand. “We shall await Council's final decision,” 

“I suggest you prepare for surgery,” Iason's cool eyes appraised the Furniture one last time before he turned. “His Furniture ID tag and implants shall also need to be removed and replaced.”

Raoul shook his head with a small smile. “Yes, of course.”

He wakes in a holding cell. He is not familiar with this at all being an exemplary Furniture in his tenure but he is aware from his research how they looked like.

He is not in any pain.

He raises his right hand. His wrist is naked, empty. His Furniture cuff has been removed. Katze knows he should be frightened. He could be slated for the organ farm or repurposed into a Sex Doll, or one of those sold en mass off planet as hard labour.

There is a numbness, he touches his face feeling a rather large strip of medical patch on the entire left plain where Iason has sliced him open.

There is a commode in the corner with a tiny mirror.

When he looks, his vanity takes a terrible beating. The patch is transparent: there is a wide bloody split, a large missing swatch of skin, it gleams with blood and looks like a piece of butchered meat; the horror drags an overwhelming emotion so great he feels bile come up his throat suddenly. He fights the terror and horror, suppressing all emotions forcefully, with the logical, practiced calmness gained from being Furniture for so long.

It is only his face.

He is not dead.

He has convinced the Master to pardon his transgression. This is a holding cell. If it is meat for processing, he will not be repaired nor will he ever hope to wake up. He thinks. Nonetheless it is nerve racking to see his Furniture tag gone and when he raises his arm, feels a wrenching pain from his right shoulder; he checks the wound on his shoulder and knows his Furniture ID implant is taken as well. He does not know what will happen to him but he knows the Master is not one to go back on his word.

He sits down to wait, there is no use expending energy on nervousness and anxiety. He closes his eyes to rest. He will need his wits and mind to be clear.

Some time passes. He is not maltreated, an Onyx comes with a food tray of generic ready food and water packs. He cannot tell time but it must be late as he notices there is no more activity after. He is certain the Elites will see him by morning because they follow a pattern and habits are important to them.

Katze makes the most of the commode, he takes off his clothes and cleans himself with the disposable wipe he keeps from the meal. He rinses it out and puts it out to dry. He makes sure his clothes are smoothed out as neatly as possible, he does not want them wrinkled, and goes to sleep in his undergarment. 

He is mentally exhausted and also feels somewhat unbalanced from the medication administered from his surgery. Katze is glad Master is not summoning him today. He must have complete rest and be well prepared the next morning.

As Furniture his body clock is perfectly trained, he wakes up and knows it is early in the morning. He cleans up carefully re-using the wipes and dresses himself, smoothing out every wrinkle. He is served a generic meal similar to the previous meal. Katze eats sparingly, he keeps one of the food packs because he does not know what will happen next. 

He is ready when an Onyx comes to get him. He is not cuffed and there is no additional security, this reassures him very much.

He is taken via security transport out of Parthia security centre to another tower. As Furniture has no access to all of Parthia but Katze has already accessed the blueprint of Parthia City and he is not completely lost. In fact he knows exactly where the transport is headed. This is the wing housing all of Parthia’s Council Offices so Katze is certain he will be meeting Master.

Exiting the transport there is a short walk then going up very gigantic lifts in the huge Parthia tower and he finds himself in an office. Furniture has never visited before. The Onyx makes a motion that he is to proceed on his own into the office. 

With his head slightly lowered, he enters and it fills him with trepidation when he finds himself in the presence of Raoul Am. 

This is Raoul Am's, not Iason Mink’s office. Why?

Katze bows and keeps his head down. All questions will be answered, he is mere Furniture; now he is not even Furniture, he is only Organic refuse. 

The Blondie is working on his data stream, he does not speak. The only acknowledgement he makes is to motion for Katze to come forward to the table. After making some remarks on his data, Raoul Am stops. Unlike Master, Raoul Am is deeply serious and yet rather flamboyantly attired, preferring to accessorise with trimmings of gold on his dark blue uniform. Master always prefers the pureness of white with a touch of gold accent. 

When the Blondie takes off his glove, Katze is extremely surprised. No Elite would remove their gloves. Protocol requires the hands be covered at all times and it can only be exposed during cleaning and sanitising. There must be a rather important objective then for Raoul Am to use his naked hand. The Blondie moves his palm to a scanning pad where he deactivates the lock on a secured steel case on the table. 

Sitting snug inside the case is what Katze assumes is a cuff but it is a strange thing, it is a rather thinly wrought metallic looking strip, he has never seen one such as this in all his years as Furniture. Raoul Am smooths the glove back onto his hand and speaks finally. 

“This is a prototype ID bracelet. It will do for the time at such short notice.”

Raoul Am's picks up the bracelet with his left hand to scroll through his data and highlights certain parts, the bracelet opens as it activates. He stands up walking around the table, he gestures and Katze quickly stretches out his arm. The Blondie slips the bracelet up Katze's arm to below his elbow, on a touch it closes, tightening and biting into skin.

Raoul regards him with intensely critical eyes. “You had been an exceptional Furniture, you could have been made much more if you had not attempted this daring misdeed.”

“I beg your kind indulgence Master,” he bows deeply.

“Iason has indeed become indulgent of you,” the Blondie steps behind his massive table. “The bracelet will fuse with your skin in twelve hours. Iason is granted full authority to upgrade your status.”  
Katze feels a surge of elation and presses his emotions down, he is careful to never break protocol.

“Iason has made you ‘Human Peripheral’ of Tanagura,” Raoul says gravely. “A tool of Eos, he is very confident you will show your diligence and courage to achieve his vision.” 

He has never heard of ‘Human Peripheral’ before and wonders what this is and what it entails although he is sure it has a set defined protocol which he will learn soon enough.

“Remember you belong to Iason as much as to me.”

He is startled to hear this. He wonders even more about what this is.

“Your registry belongs to me,” Raoul's voice takes on a dark warning as he continues. “As and when Iason grows tired of his experimentation, this will make it convenient for me to bring you in as a specimen of my laboratory.”

The ripple of horror and terror spirals through him, Katze makes a deep obeisance. “I understand Master.”

“You are dismissed,” Raoul said as if he had not issued the most terrifying of threats. “Iason awaits you.”

When Katze walks out of the office, the same Onyx who has brought him is waiting.

In the lift when he thinks the Onyx is not watching, he touches the foreign band with a feeling of absolute euphoria. There is not the slightest heft to the ID bracelet now cinching his forearm but it is the most solid piece of evidence of his survival and the acknowledgement he seeked from Master. 

He does not dwell on the warnings, he knows there is no use thinking of failures because this is the opportunity he is waiting for, this will be his biggest break. He needs to get his act together and make his case convincing enough that Tanagura will want him alive. 

He is the number one Furniture; Katze will definitely be the number one ‘Human Peripheral’.

**Author's Note:**

> Simply put, in Tanagura all Humans are Organics, if they are to be utilised they become tools, such as Furniture. As Iason Mink wants to continue utilising Katze and everything must have a defined role and purpose, he promotes Katze to a 'Human Peripheral', much like an augmented Furniture.
> 
> In the process of writing about Katze, developing a backstory, I started straying from canon as I am incapable of too much melancholy and sticking to the horrific themes of AnK. Hence I must forewarn this is really Alternative Universe; there is canon material but also a lot of invented padding, especially the fact that Katze takes on a specific role, not the black market behind the scene mobster, or such. I apologise beforehand if this just gets too wildly impossible.


End file.
